Chasing Phantoms
by spectaculaire
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple train ride to L.A., but of course the Fates had something else in store for Nico. Now, Nico finds himself on a cross-country road trip, encountering nice and nasty ghosts, a little girl who happens to be Bianca's reincarnation and much more. Set three years after BoO. Please R&R.
1. Preface

**A/N: **

**I've been meaning to write a story about Nico meeting his sister's reincarnation for a while now. This story was previously posted on an alternate account, just to give me a feel for how enthusiastic I am about writing this story. **

**The verdict? I _want _to write this story. **

**I know I'm kind of starting to have a track record of ditching fics. Honestly when it comes to actual stories, I'm usually making stuff on the spot and I lose interest quickly. However with this one, I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going. This story is more of a passion project for me and I hope you all enjoy it.**

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PREFACE

_On a quiet road beside a picturesque forest, underneath the warm, afternoon autumn sun, the ruins of a violently toppled car continued to burn. Dark grey smoke plumed out of the Chrysler and disappeared into wisps only a few meters above the wreckage, completely hidden from a distance._

_Inside the car, miraculously untouched by the flames, a young girl began to cry._

_"Mommy!" she wailed. Strapped onto the overturned backseat, the four-year-old rocked back and forth in her booster seat restlessly. "Fire! Fire!"_

_Her mother did not respond. The woman remained upside-down in the driver's seat, limp and bloody. Her pale green eyes stared blankly ahead._

_Surrounded by the intense smoke and heat with her seatbelt constricting her chest, the young girl began to suffocate._

_"Mommy! Fire! Too tight!" she choked, "Can't. Breathe."_

_Then all of the sudden, the little girl heard a loud creak and the back door slammed open. A scrawny, black-haired teenage boy climbed into the blazing car and hastily undid her seatbelt. He caught the child as she dropped from the booster seat and carried her out of the burning wreckage._

In a flash, the scene vanished. Another vision.


	2. Chapter 1

NICO

"Did you pack at least two bags of ambrosia?"

"Yes." I took off my backpack and flourished my Ziplock bags of ambrosia to my half-sister. We stood at the base of Half-Blood Hill, prolonging our goodbye with an unnecessary check-over.

"Drachmas in case you need to Iris-message for help?" Hazel badgered.

"Of course."

"Do you have an extra pair of shoes?"

"I don't need another pair."

Hazel pointed at my feet, which were comfortably enclosed in my favourite ratty, black sneakers. "You've been wearing those shoes everyday for the past two years!"

"Well, yeah." I inspected the soles. Remarkably, they were untarnished. "Look. They don't have holes in them yet."

Hazel sighed. "Fine then. How about a pillow? Or even better... A pillow pet?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Percy speaks very highly of pillow pets," Hazel countered defensively, "He says that when you're on the road, pillow pets are like the greatest gifts to mankind-"

Resisting the urge to groan, I interrupted her mid-sentence. "Honestly Hazel, I'm going to be fine. Since when did you become so concerned about me travelling by myself?"

Hazel gazed at the black skull ring on my right hand. A year ago, I had managed to find an Underworld blade expert to magically alter my Stygian iron sword so that it could transform into something small and portable. I remembered meeting Hazel for the first time and her initial skepticism of my abilities. After summoning a few ghosts, that quickly changed.

"I guess it's pretty silly of me to worried about you of all people," Hazel said with a sheepish smile, "Especially after everything we've - you've - been through."

Our eyes met and instantly, memories of the Giant War came flooding back to me. Dragging myself out of Tartarus. Clinging on to the last shreds of my life force while trapped in an oxygen-deprived bronze jar. Shadow-travelling across the Atlantic until I collapsed in exhaustion. Simply remembering all of the hardships, battles and sacrifices was an awful experience in itself, even after more than three years.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder. "I have to go."

Before I could turn to walk away, Hazel grabbed my wrist. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I mean, we're both children of the Underworld so this affects me too."

"Annabeth needs your help with the village," I told her. It was not the main reason why I did not want Hazel to accompany me but nevertheless, it was true. Hazel was at Camp Half-Blood in the first place to assist in the construction of a New Rome-esque community for Greek demigods. With Hazel's geokinetic powers, building a village would be much quicker.

"Besides, a train ride to L.A. should be a cakewalk compared to everything else we've experienced. I've traveled much longer distances without too much trouble."

"That's because you shadow-traveled," Hazel reminded.

Okay, she had a point. A _really good _point. Usually I could slip in and out of shadows like they were open doors, but nowadays they remained solid. It seemed that for some unfathomable reason, the shadows were blocked. I learned that the hard way several days ago when Mrs. O'Leary and I had unintentionally slammed into a tree, promptly splitting it in half. Instead of showing up in New Rome, we had found ourselves receiving a rambling lecture from a furious dryad.

And that was not all. Not only was the shadow-travel network inaccessible, it seemed that the whole Underworld was closed. A few days ago I had attempted to enter the Underworld via the Door of Orpheus but it would not open. These days, no matter how many times I tried, I could not summon a single ghost, a task that used to be as easy as jumping. A couple of nights ago, I had gone to my last resort and had tried to Iris-message my father. No connection could be made. Hazel and I had tried to contact all of our ghost friends, any Underworld god who didn't hate either of us, and many others. We had even attempted to Iris-message the Kindly Ones, who I usually avoided at all costs because they tended to lovingly smother the crap out of me. Still - nothing. Nada. We were completely cut-off for no apparent reason.

"For all we know, the Underworld could be in deep trouble," Hazel said quietly, "Who knows what's waiting for you at Charon's in Los Angeles."

I placed my hands on Hazel's shoulders reassuringly. "Hazel, listen to me. I'm over eighty years old, been through hell and back, and suffered way more emotional trauma than the average angsty teenager. I'm going to be alright. If not, I'll contact you ASAP."

I gave my sister a hug and walked down to the road. For the last time, I looked back at Camp Half-Blood. Hazel was still standing on Half-Blood Hill, watching me leave.

"Tell Annabeth to build a house for me," I shouted to Hazel, "Maybe after this voyage, I might retire from monster fighting and settle down in the village. Or New Rome, if the whole multi-generation, family-oriented, Greek-demigod community doesn't work out."

Hazel laughed. "You practically have a whole cabin to yourself. You don't need a place in the village."

"But I've seen Annabeth's blueprints. I don't know about you but I wouldn't mind living the rest of my life in a mini Santorini by the Long Island Sound."

Hazel shook her head, smiling good-humouredly. "Goodbye Nico."

After one last wave, I turned to the road. I fished my pocket for a drachma and took a deep breath.

"_Anakoche! Harma epitribeios!"_

I tossed the drachma into the pavement and watched it disappear into the asphalt. A moment passed and then a peculiar, smoky grey taxi rose in front of me. I immediately opened the back door and entered the cab.

"Passage?! Passage?!" screeched an old woman from the front of the car.

"One to Penn Station, New York, New York," I replied as I wrapped my waist with a large black chain, the Gray Sisters' version of a seatbelt. I'd ridden with the Gray Sisters once before (long story) so I understood the importance of buckling up. I braced myself for the upcoming burst of acceleration. With a head-slamming lurch, the taxi zoomed away to New York City.

"So..." I began as nonchalantly as one could in a vehicle going beyond roller-coaster speeds, "Do you ladies happen to know why the Underworld is closed?"

"Yes!" All three of them yelled.

"Anger! Give me the eye!" the driver shrieked.

"You have the tooth!" the third woman retorted.

"Wasp!" the middle one shrilled, "Give me the tooth! I want to bite the boy's coin!"

"Tempest, you bit it last time!"

"Um, care to elaborate on why the Underworld's closed?" I asked. I specifically chose this method of transportation in hopes of gathering more information regarding my personal quest. Honestly, I wouldn't risk injuring my neck from whiplash without getting a little something out of it.

"Can't tell!" Anger replied, "Make a left!"

"You have to find out for yourself," Tempest added, "It's all part of the road trip."

"Road trip?" I repeated, "But I'm riding the train."

Tempest's sisters each gave her a good smack to her sides, screaming, "Be quiet! Be quiet!"

"He's not supposed to know!" Wasp screeched.

"Know what?" I inquired.

Unfortunately for me, the Grey Sisters were too busy straight-up catfighting to give me an answer. Tempest blindly clawed at both of her sisters, who wildly yanked her stringy grey hair and slapped her repeatedly. Every time Tempest managed to scratch Wasp, the cab swerved and skidded.

"You always reveal too much information!" Anger wailed.

"We always almost lose our eye because of you!" Wasp accused.

"Remember old Perseus? Turn!"

Wasp spun the steering wheel to the right. "Remember new Perseus?"

"Never forget!"

"How exactly am I supposed to 'find out for myself'?" I hollered.

"How do you usually do it?" Anger asked before she bit Tempest.

I hesitated. "I talk to ghosts."

"There you have it!" said Wasp.

"But I can't summon ghosts these days!" I exclaimed, "Now if you'd just tell me why..."

"Can't!" said Anger.

"Find ghosts!" explained Tempest, "Hunt them if necessary!"

"TEMPEST!"

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" I demanded.

"Trust all instincts!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

"We're here!" Wasp announced. She floored the brake and I nearly flew out of my seat. Surely enough, we were parked right outside Penn Station.

"Now leave!" screeched Anger. The back door opened by itself and my backpack was magically kicked out of the car. "Before our idiot sister opens her mouth again."

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**A/N:**

**Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.**

**Anybody here a fan of the TV show _Supernatural? _This story also incorporates many elements from _Supernatural, _though not enough to be considered a proper crossover. Just a hint...**

**Also, if any of you know any creepy ghost stories or folklore, please tell me in the reviews! **


	3. Chapter 2

NICO

The Amtrak train was barely into Pennsylvania when it abruptly halted. A static noise emanated from the speakers until a man's voice could be heard.

"_Attention all passengers, this is your conductor speaking. Due to an unexpected glitch in our computer system, we have stopped all trains in the New York metropolitan area. You may experience delays of up to two hours. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for your cooperation._"

People around me grumbled and shuffled in their seats. _Two hours? Outrageous_.

Secretly, I was glad for the delay. It gave me more time to figure out my next move. Obviously from what the Grey Sisters told me, I wasn't meant to take this train all the way to L.A. Somehow, with no license, no car and no money for gas, I was supposed to drive around and track down ghosts for information.

I closed my eyes with a sigh and leaned back into my seat. If the Grey Sisters were correct - and they always were - then it seemed my little mission was going to be longer and more dangerous than I had expected. Wonderful.

Before I knew it, I ended up dozing off with hitch-hiking strategies and car-stealing schemes fresh on my mind...

XXX

_ In my dream, I was in an arcade. All around me, kids of all ages, plucked out of reality from different decades, played and played as time flew by relentlessly. I wandered around, watching girls in bell-bottoms and boys with frosted, noodle-like hair become more immersed in their screens. I wondered if they knew what they were missing. I wondered if they knew what they were throwing away for mindless entertainment._

_ "Do you want to play Monopoly?" a girl asked._

_ I whipped around to see a long, shiny table lined with board games. There, sitting with a vintage version of Monopoly that I vaguely remembered from my early childhood, was Bianca._

_ Shocked, I gawked at my sister who I hadn't talked to since she was reborn. Bianca sat patiently across the board game table looking exactly as I had last seen her, looking exactly like she was when she died. Her hair was pulled back in her braid, showing off her freckles, and she wore a silver Hunters jacket with a quiver slung around her shoulders._

_ "When we were here in the Lotus Hotel, every day we played a game of Monopoly. Just the two of us," Bianca reminisced, "Everyday, for a month, for seventy years. Do you remember?"_

_ I shook my head. Bianca eyes twinkled in amusement._

_ "And every other day, you would cheat," she recalled, grinning, "Sometimes I would catch you moving forward a few spaces or sneaking money out of the bank. Most of the time, you got away with it. Even as a kid, you were a brilliant liar."_

_ "Wow," I said and took the seat across from her, "For more than three years you haven't appeared anywhere to me, not even in dreams. But now that you're here, you call me dishonest."_

_ Bianca shrugged. "And secretive. And prone to obsession. Prone to grudges too." She gazed at me, smiling sadly. I spotted my reflection on the polished table and saw that I appeared as I was at the moment. Five-foot-nine, seventeen and badly in need of a haircut. "And you'll always be my little brother, no matter how tall you get."_

_ I forced down a sob and forced out a smile. "I call the shoe."_

_ My sister chuckled. "You always wanted to be the shoe. As usual, I'll be the thimble."_

_ Although I was itching to ask my sister a certain question, we played peacefully for several minutes, just like old times. Soon, I couldn't take it anymore._

_ "Why now?" I asked._

_ "Hmm?" Distracted, Bianca looked up from the game._

_ "Why appear to me now after almost four years? You're not even a ghost anymore. Last time I checked, you applied for rebirth and got it."_

_ "That's right."_

_ "So...?"_

_ My sister tilted her head curiously. "I'm here in your dreams because I'm around you in reality. You're sensing my spirit."_

_ "W-what?" I spluttered, "You mean, your reincarnated form is close by?"_

_ Bianca rolled the dice and moved the thimble token accordingly. It landed on a Chance square. She picked up a Chance card, read it silently, then arched her eyebrows at me. "I'm near. You can feel it." _

XXX

I woke up with a jolt, hearing the conductor's voice from the speakers.

_"-And service will resume in approximately thirty minutes. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for your cooperation."_

Thirty minutes before the train moves again. A half-hour to find Bianca's reincarnation. Somewhere in my brain, I knew it was insane to go searching. However, I also knew with absolute certainty that I would regret it if I didn't at least try.

Bianca was right. I could sense her presence nearby. My head tingled, making me restless as if I had downed three cups of caffeine.

As inconspicuously as I could, I left my seat with my backpack and headed to the toilet. Luckily, there was a window above the sink and I was able to climb out, leaving the restroom door locked. I silently apologized to the next passenger who ever needed to do their business here.

When I got outside, I immediately scanned my surroundings. The train had stopped in the countryside, right next to a forest. I felt oddly drawn to the forest. It had this almost magnetic pull to me that was impossible ignore.

_Trust all instincts_, the Grey Sister had said.

Without much thought, I broke out into a sprint towards the woods. I relaxed my mind, allowing my intuition to take over and guide me to my destination. Following the pull of the forest, I jumped over a creek and ran non-stop, hearing the crunching of fallen leaves with every stride. About ten minutes had passed when I began to hear a ringing in my ears, a sensation that I had felt many times before. It was a sign that somebody close by was dying.

I smelled the smoke before I saw it. After a couple more minutes of dashing through the forest, I reached a narrow road. In the middle of the road, a car was ablaze.

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**A/N:**

**Thank you for all the favourites and follows. A special thanks goes out to the user ShadyKnight for that wonderful review!**

**Again, please review. I'd appreciate any freedom - constructive criticism, suggestions, you name it! Also, if you know any good horror stories, feel free to tell me in the reviews or PM me.**


	4. Chapter 3

NICO

"Mommy! Fire! Fire!" wailed a faint, high-pitched voice. Inside the smouldering vehicle, I could see the silhouette of a child flailing against the upside-down backseat.

Feeling a sudden burst of adrenaline, I rushed toward the car, determined to come to the child's rescue. As I approached the wreckage, the cries for help became louder and were beginning to sound constrained as if the child was suffocating. When I got close enough, I could see that the child was a little girl of about three or four years old with auburn curls. Despite her laboured breathing, the little girl screamed in her booster seat, miraculously uninjured. Meanwhile a woman, burnt and bloody, hung limp in the steering wheel. I did not need to look twice to know she was dead.

I tore open the back door and crawled into the car, holding my breath to prevent myself from inhaling the fumes. As quickly as I could, I freed the little girl from her booster seat lifted her out of the scorching backseat. Instantly, the tingling in my head ceased and I knew she was the one. The reincarnation of my sister's spirit.

"Mommy... Fire..." The little girl's voice waned as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She drooped her curly head against my chest. To my relief, she was visibly breathing.

I glanced back at the dead woman in the driver's seat. She was now fully engulfed in flames. A lost cause.

Cradling the unconscious child in my arms, I yelled at the top of my lungs, "SOMEBODY HELP!"

It was no use. We were on a remote Pennsylvanian road in the middle of nowhere. Now that I had found what I was looking for, I no longer sensed any pull from anywhere. I hadn't the slightest clue how to get back to the train, I had no cellphone so I couldn't call 9-1-1, and I had no idea how to care for a passed-out little girl.

Finally I decided to follow the road in hopes of hitch-hiking a ride to the nearest hospital. Surely people would be willing to help a (to quote a certain someone) "shady-looking teenage hoodlum" carrying an unconscious little girl, right?

After about a quarter-mile, fatigue kicked in. Only now did I realize how much energy I had expended from all the hardcore sprinting and rescuing. Exhausted and lost, I plopped myself down next to an empty intersection, holding the little girl as firmly as I could.

The little girl stirred, her eyes shut. She reminded me of Bianca's old porcelain dolls, rosy-cheeked with immaculate reddish curls.

"Mommy?" she said weakly.

I recalled the woman dangling upside-down listlessly at the steering wheel, devoured by the flames.

"I'm not your mother," I said softly, "I'm here to help you."

The little girl whimpered. "I want my mommy."

I didn't have the guts to tell the girl about her mother. Hell, I didn't think I'd _ever_ have the heart to inform any kid that their parent was currently burning to a crisp. Instead of answering her question, I asked, "What's your name?"

"Izzy," the girl murmured then slipped back into unconsciousness.

A split second later - or maybe it was an hour, I wouldn't know - I caught sight of a car speeding down the hill. I carefully laid Izzy onto the grass and stood up. Waving my arms frantically, I hollered, "Hey! Stop! We need help!"

The car halted right in front of us. Under normal circumstances, I would've taken a few moments to admire the ride. It was a forest-green vintage Mustang, sleek but sturdy enough to face any monster I'd encountered. To my surprise, a girl in a dark blue jacket hurried out of the driver's seat. She looked about eighteen, slim, and had long, straight, brown hair that glowed auburn in the sun. The part of my brain that didn't have its priorities straight wondered why this girl wasn't in school.

"Are you two alright?" she shouted as she jogged towards us.

"I'm alright," I panted, a bit short of breath from yelling. I nodded my head at Izzy. "But she isn't. I just pulled her out of a burning car. She needs to be at a hospital right now."

The young driver nodded. "Come. I can drive you to the nearest hospital." She opened the back door of her Mustang and ushered us in.

While the driver restarted the car, she shot me a bunch of questions.

"Where'd you find her?"

"About a quarter-mile ahead," I replied, "She was in a car accident."

"Crash?" The driver made a U-turn.

I hesitated. "Actually I'm not sure." I visualized the scene of the accident. "The car was flipped upside-down, dented everywhere and was just burning on the middle of the road. If I remember correctly, there weren't any skid marks either."

The driver's pale green eyes scrutinized me at the rearview mirror. "Strange," she remarked.

I covered Izzy's ears. "Her mother was driving," I said quietly.

The driver glanced back at Izzy. Sarcastically, the driver said, "Really? I assumed _she _was."

Seriously? This lady was making sardonic cracks _now_?

Ignoring that last comment, I told her, "Her mother's dead."

"Oh." The driver turned her attention back to the road. I was starting to feel like I was hitching a ride with the most emotionless teenage girl in America.

A minute passed before the driver spoke again. "What's your name."

"Nico. Yours?"

The driver hesitated. "Rosemary. So Nico, that's a pretty nasty burn you got."

"What?" I briefly inspected myself for injuries. My clothes were slightly singed but I was wearing black so it was barely noticeable. However, my left hand, which I had used to open the charred back door, was red and blistery. Now that I was aware of my burn, my hand started to sting.

"You should put a gauze on that," Rosemary advised, "We're still pretty far from the hospital but a town's coming up. We can stop by and get you some bandages."

I shook my head. "I have bandages in my backpack. Keep driving."

"You sure?"

"I've had worse. Besides, Izzy needs a hospital as soon as possible."

"Izzy's gonna be fine," Rosemary said curtly.

"She's _unconscious_."

Rosemary rolled her eyes. "She's asleep. You can tell by her breathing."

Hoping to prove Rosemary wrong, I watched Izzy for a bit. Much to my annoyance, Rosemary was right. Izzy was definitely asleep, her breathing calm and rhythmic.

Glowering at Rosemary's reflection on the rearview mirror, I said, "Still, she probably inhaled a lot of smoke."

Rosemary shrugged. "Doesn't look like she inhaled too much smoke 'cause she looks fine to me. By the way Nico, if you do ever see an unconscious person, it's better to lay them on their side. Just in case they vomit."

Okay, this girl was really beginning to irritate me. "Thanks for the tip," I snapped, "But we should go to the hospital anyway. Just in case you're wrong."

Rosemary smirked. "Well well well... Aren't you _sassy_. Now, back to the only injury in this car... You should at least run your hand under cold water. That's a second-degree burn, kiddo."

Although I was miffed that Rosemary - who looked barely older than me - had called me "kiddo", I sighed. "Fine."

After about three miles, we reached a town so small, there were no franchise businesses. After a couple of minutes of wandering around this hick town, Rosemary parked her car at a dingy restaurant with a silly-sounding name.

"This place probably has a decent toilet," said Rosemary, "I'll wait here in the car with Izzy. You can go inside, uh, Tweedie's and wash up."

I gently laid Izzy down on the backseat and headed out to the restaurant. The moment I stepped foot inside, a middle-aged waitress with fluffy blonde hair scurried over to greet me.

"Welcome to Tweedie's!" she piped, "Table for one?"

"No thank you," I declined, "I just need to use your restroom."

The waitress simpered, looking rather silly in her heavily made-up face. "Restrooms are for guests only."

I held up my seared left hand. "Lady, I have a second-degree burn."

The waitress pursed her lips. "Hmm... Maybe, son, if you order a water then you'd technically count as a customer..." she suggested.

Ugh. I had no time for this. "Never mind," I told her brusquely, "I'll just let my hand fester."

I stormed out of Tweedie's only to see the Mustang zooming across the parking lot. Confused, I held up my uninjured hand at the car. "Hey Rosemary! Where're you going? Wait up!"

It was painfully apparent that Rosemary heard me. When she caught sight of me, her green eyes widened in shock. She turned back to the steering wheel and sped out of the parking lot.

What the... Gods, how could I be so stupid? No wonder Rosemary insisted on stopping. Obviously, she had been planning to leave me here all along and take Izzy with her! Lucky me - the first driver I encountered in the middle of nowhere just _had_ to be some mental teenage girl.

Even though I was burned out both literally and figuratively, I pushed myself to chase after the green Mustang. Fortunately the streets were empty and I was able to run on the pavement.

"Stop right now or I'm calling the police!"

The Mustang accelerated.

Oh, what the hell. I brushed my thumb against the black skull ring on my right middle finger. In a split second a Stygian iron sword, three feet long and black as night, appeared in my hand. Concentrating on the space ahead of the Mustang, I stabbed my sword into the asphalt. A tremor rippled from the spot I struck the ground and ended right before the Mustang. At that point, the road folded up and blocked the front tires, completely stopping the car.

As I dashed towards the car, Rosemary poked her head out the window and groaned when she saw me coming. The tires spun furiously against the road block but the Mustang didn't move.

Before Rosemary had the chance to turn around, I managed to point my sword at her neck.

"What the _hel_l do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

Rosemary closed her eyes and sighed. "Nico, I can explain- oh my God, is that a sword?!"

For a moment I was distracted. Usually, the Mist tricked mortals into seeing a black baseball bat or a shotgun or an overly ornate costume prop. "Wait, you can see the sword?"

"No, I see an abnormally large butter kni- OF COURSE I CAN SEE THE _FUCKING SWORD_!"

I didn't have time to mull over the fact that Rosemary could see through the Mist. In a most ungentlemanly way, I swiftly opened the door and seized her out of the driver's seat. With the blade of my sword held at Rosemary's throat, I growled, "Explain."

Rosemary raised her hands in defeat. "Alright, you got me. I was trying to run away with Izzy."

"No shit. Why?" My sword hovered just half an inch away from Rosemary's neck. If the sword made contact, it would automatically begin draining out her life force. At the moment, the psychotic side of me didn't really mind if that happened. "Are you some lunatic or child abductor or something?"

Rosemary took a deep breath. "Izzy's my sister."

* * *

**A/N:**

**This story is rated T for swearing. I guess it's a bit too late to mention that...**

**A special thanks goes to the guest user "vampire". I appreciate your review!**

**This is my first time writing a fic that doesn't revolve around being humorous. Please tell me your thoughts so far! I'm open to anything - suggestions, criticism, compliments (*wink*), etc... If you're more into funny fics, check out my other stories :)**

**-Spec**


	5. Chapter 4

NICO

I veered the Mustang into the highway while Rosemary talked in the passenger seat, regarding me warily.

"Our parents are separated. I live with my dad and Izzy lives with our mom in Philly. I was on my way to visit when I found you and Izzy."

"That's... That's unbelievable," I remarked.

Although Rosemary's story was extremely far-fetched, I genuinely believed that she was telling the truth. Obviously, the Fates meant for us to meet like this; they were always sending these sort of curveballs in my life. Bianca's spirit just _had_ to be living inside a little girl with an older sister who coincidentally was the first person I encountered after rescuing the aforementioned little girl/reincarnation of Bianca.

"But why ditch me? I was trying to help."

"I was going to bring Izzy to my dad's place in Oregon. I didn't want you getting in the way."

I furrowed my eyebrows at Rosemary. "If you told me that earlier, I would've understood."

Rosemary exhaled tiredly. "It's complicated."

I wanted to interrogate her more, but I could tell by her expression that the last thing she wanted was more questions. Still, there was one thought nagging at me...

"You know," I said carefully, "You don't seem that bothered about your mom's death."

Rosemary glared at me. "I am bothered! I'm more than bothered."

"Most people in mourning wouldn't use the word 'bothered' to describe their feelings," I pointed out.

Rosemary stared stonily ahead. "My relationship with my mom is rocky to say the least. I mean, it _was _rocky."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really, it was that bad? So bad that you didn't seem the slightest bit interested in going to the scene of the accident? You know, your mom's probably still in that car. Was your relationship with your mom so terrible that you don't mind letting her corpse burn?"

"_Yes_," snapped Rosemary. There were tears in her eyes. "Yes, Nico, it was. My mom walked out on me when I was _three _so she could become a _musician. _And whenever she visited, she was nothing but terrible to everyone around her! She made it very clear that she didn't want anything to do with me and my dad. I don't want to get too into detail but I can assure that _yes_, I don't really care that she's burning away and I _hate_ that I don't care."

Whoa. I was not prepared for that.

Izzy stirred from the backseat. Apparently, Rosemary managed to put a seatbelt on Izzy before taking off at Tweedie's.

"Peri?" Izzy said groggily.

Rosemary's expression suddenly softened. "Hey Iz. How're you doing?"

The little girl rubbed her eyes, which were a striking pale green like Rosemary's. "I saw fire... Where's mommy?"

"Mommy's not here right now," Rosemary said soothingly. I could detect the melancholy in her voice. "We're going to Dad's house."

Izzy perked up. "Dad's? With the swing?"

"That's right. Now go take a nap. When you wake up, I'm gonna buy you a Happy Meal."

Izzy beamed. "Yay!"

"But _only_ if you nap," Rosemary reminded.

"Okay." Izzy closed her eyes and drifted off.

Rosemary's expression toughened again. "Well Nico, you're now aware of my mommy issues. What else do you want to know?"

A thought occurred to me. _It's all part of the road trip,_ the Grey Sister had said. Right now, I couldn't blame Tempest's sisters for getting all upset about revealing too much info. Figuring out my next steps was almost too easy.

"I want to know if you'll give me a ride to L.A.," I told Rosemary.

"Excuse me?"

I pulled up at the side of the road. Everything was all becoming very clear to me. Today, the Fates did not have a mere train ride in store for me. I was meant to find Bianca's reincarnation as well as the reincarnation's crazy older sister. I wasn't too sure why, but I had a feeling I should stick with the two auburn-haired sisters to find out.

Giving Rosemary my most piercing stare, I told her, "I was supposed to be on an Amtrak train to Los Angeles when I saved your sister. Letting me ride in your Mustang is the least you can do, considering that if it wasn't for me, Izzy would've suffocated to death in your mom's car. Besides, you're going west anyway."

Rosemary scowled. "Can't I just buy you a train ticket?"

"No," I refused, "You're gonna let me ride in your car all the way to L.A. or I'm calling the cops."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

"You..." Rosemary leaned back into her seat, exasperated. "You're crazy, you know that? You know how far California is from Pennsylvania? _Pretty damn far_. And you know how long the drive-?"

"I'm perfectly aware of all that," I interrupted, "And I'm not the crazy one here. I'm not the one who abandons strangers - little-sister-rescuing strangers - in small-town restaurants. Do we have ourselves a deal?"

Glaring, Rosemary crossed her arms and agreed. "Yes."

"Promise you'll bring me to L.A. with no attempts to ditch me?"

"Fine."

"Pinkie promise?"

"What are you? Nine?"

"Promise over the River Styx?" I knew it was wrong to trick a mortal into making such a vow, but I wasn't so sure I trusted Rosemary yet.

Perplexed, Rosemary raised an eyebrow. "You want me to promise over a river of sticks?"

"Just say you promise."

"I promise." Thunder boomed overhead.

"Good."

Rosemary huffed. "Is there anything else? Do you want me to sign a blood oath or something?"

"One thing." I restarted the engine. "Your name's not Rosemary, isn't it?"

The tiniest of smiles appeared on her face. "Nope. It's Peri."

* * *

**A/N:**

**To my reviewers...**

**Guest: Thank you! And you can expect more plot twists to come ;)**

**Pusillanimity (By the way, I had to look up the definition of your penname. I'm definitely gonna use the word "pusillanimity" more often!): Ghostbusters? You're very close ;)**

**The next chapter is going to be narrated by Peri/Not Rosemary. You're going to find out a few interesting things about her...**

**On a very unrelated note, can anyone recommend me good Tumblr blogs to follow? **


	6. Chapter 5

PERI

Usually, if somebody tried to hijack my car, I would immediately shoot them with the .45 I kept with me at all times. But this time, I didn't. I _allowed _this Nico guy to shove me into the passenger seat and drive my beloved '67 Mustang like he was boss.

I supposed it was his sword. I'd faced poltergeists, hellhounds and cannibalistic puppets, but that wickedly-sharp black sword - which disappeared when I averted my eyes for one moment - downright _terrified _me. I'd never seen a weapon like it before but I knew it meant trouble.

However, Nico himself wasn't that scary. Perhaps he was a little creepy with the whole _tell-me-your-sob-story-or-I'll-cut-you_ attitude but he genuinely seemed to care about Izzy's well-being. Actually, Nico seemed to care about Izzy a bit _too _much. I wondered if that boy had attachment issues.

Anyway, I knew in my gut that Nico was no monster. Though he was unlike anything - any_one_ - I'd ever encountered, weirdly enough I trusted him to not hurt me or my sister. Maybe he was just some peculiar kid with an even more peculiar sword but most likely he was one of us - a fighter of the supernatural. If that was the case, I wanted him to admit he was a paranormal hunter, like me and my dad, before showing him the assortment of weapons, ammunition and other dandy monster-killing thingamabobs I kept in the trunk. If I revealed the truth about myself and my "career" too early... Well, _that_ never ended well.

I studied Nico's expression and tried to guess his secret. Obviously, the guy was keeping quiet about something important. He told me he was supposed to be on a train when he rescued Izzy. On the other hand, in my vision, the wrecked car seemed to be far from any train station. What exactly was Nico doing there in the first place? He also accepted my story too quickly than I'd expected. Plus, what kind of person asks for a ride to L.A. from a stranger? There was something up with Nico, I just _knew_ it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nico asked.

I blinked. I hadn't realized that I was full-on staring him. "I was just thinking."

"O-_kay, _and what do your thoughts have to do with my face?" Nico regarded me suspiciously.

I struggled to find a witty response. "I... can't believe some emo kid is driving my car."

Nico frowned. "I'm not emo."

I did a brief once-over of Nico's appearance. "What's up with the all-black clothes?"

"Black is my favourite colour," Nico responded.

"Black isn't a colour," I corrected, quoting something my mother told me many years ago, "It's a shade."

"Even better." Nico turned his attention back to the road.

"And your hair too," I added, "I bet you spent a good chunk of your morning styling your hair to get that dark and disheveled look."

"My hair is naturally dark and disheveled," Nico defended, sounding annoyed.

"And your skull rings. And skull T-shirt. Oh, and your black sword. You mind explaining that?" I thought this was a suitable transition to get Nico talking about his monster-fighting ways, _if _he was one of us.

"Okay, you're right. I am a little emo," Nico said, avoiding my question, "Hey, I see a McDonald's up ahead. Didn't you tell Izzy you're gonna buy her a Happy Meal?"

"Yeah. I'll wake her up," I replied, "So let's talk about your sword..."

"Izzy... Is that short for something?" Nico mused, ignoring my last sentence, "Isabelle? Isabella?"

"Isabelline. So, where'd you get your sword?"

"Isabelline? I've never heard of that name before."

"It's not really a name," I told him, "Isabelline is a colour. It's a kind of white. Anyway, your sword..."

He interrupted. "Why name her after a colour?"

"Our mom was a painter. So why-?"

"I thought you said your mom was a musician?" Nico pestered. He stopped the car at a red light.

"She liked to paint too. Your sword-"

"How about you? Is Peri short for something too?" The light turned green.

"Nico-"

"Peri... Perinabeth?" Nico guessed. His evasiveness was starting to irritate me now. "Periodic table? Peri... The Platypus?"

"Just answer the ques-"

"Or is your name a colour too? Peri... Periwinkle? Hold up - is your real name Periwinkle?"

"_Yes. _Now your sword..."

"Wow, your mom named you _Periwinkle?" _My companion smirked. "No wonder you hated her so much."

"Nico, shut up-"

"If you say so..."

_"- _And talk about your damn sword!_"_

"Alright, alright..." Nico took a deep breath and held up his right middle finger.

I lost it. "_Are you seriously flipping me off-?_"

"No, my ring!" Nico pointed at the black skull ring on his middle finger. "Holy Tartarus, you are such a... You need to calm down. Peri, my sword is enchanted so it can turn into this ring." He brushed his thumb against the skull on the ring. Right away, the ring morphed into a black metal sword.

"Oh." Now, I was simply confused. I considered myself to be quite the weapons enthusiast, but I'd never heard of enchanted swords. For now, all I could say was, "You better put that away in case someone rear-ends us. Don't want that slashing the inside my car."

Nico tapped the bottom of the sword hilt and it instantly transformed back into a ring. "I'm guessing this isn't the weirdest thing you've ever seen."

Finally, we were getting somewhere.

"Why do you ask that?" I asked innocently as Nico steered the car towards the McDonald's drive-thru.

"You can see my sword," he replied, "Meaning you can see through the Mist."

I knew most people couldn't see the supernatural until it was too late. However, I'd never heard anyone refer to that phenomenon like it was an actual thing or in Nico's case, "the Mist".

What kind of hunter was this guy?

"Hunter?" Nico gave me a strange look. I hadn't realized that I spoke my last thought aloud.

Suddenly, the stereo beside us crackled._"Hello, welcome to McDonald's. What would you like to order?" _I suppressed a sigh of relief. Saved by the drive-thru.


End file.
